


Broken Promise

by CordeliaOllivander



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Death, Coping, Developing Relationship, F/M, Facebook: Draco's Den, Out of Character, Soulmates, drabble challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-06-21
Packaged: 2020-05-15 22:12:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19304866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CordeliaOllivander/pseuds/CordeliaOllivander
Summary: Millicent never had the life she wanted. Being a Halfblood in a house full of prideful Pureblood Slytherin's forced her to act like the tough one, like she had to earn her spot. Like she had to prove she was good enough to be there, and anyone who told her different got a fist to the face. Everyone feared her... all except Fred Weasley.





	Broken Promise

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Draco's Den Roll-A-Drabble challenge :) My prompts were Millicent Bullstrode, Fred Weasley, and Soulmates. The song "Someone You Loved" by Lewis Capaldi inspired this story, I hope it delivers. I don't write tragedy's, but my husband gave me this idea and I went with it. Enjoy! Just a note for clarity, the flashbacks of the story are all in italics.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

She watched from afar as George sobbed and threw himself on the gravestone that marked his brothers resting place. Even the sky was crying as the grey clouds brought on the steady rain. She even wore a dress that didn’t reek of her damn Slytherin pride. All black and sleeveless. Her heavy black combat boots threw the whole outfit off, but she knew he would have liked them. She held a single orange rose in her hand, being sure to keep herself dry with an umbrella charm using her wand. He’d told her once that he liked orange. 

 

~

_Millicent really should have learned by now to switch up her table. The moment she saw him walk past the potions section in the library she knew he was headed this way. He hadn’t stopped pestering her about the Yule Ball, so why should today be any different?_

 

_"There’s nothing wrong with orange, Bullstrode." Fred said as he plopped down in the chair across from her._

_"It’s a ridiculous color, Weasley. It’s obnoxious, just like you." She huffed. "Don’t you have somewhere you have to be?"  
_

_"Nope." He made sure to pop the end of the word. "You could still be my date, you know." His wide grin making his face look so carefree. "I’m sure we can find you a dress to match my bright orange vest."  
_

_Millicent huffed in annoyance. "I’ve already told you that I’m not going with you. I’m a Slytherin and your a Gryffindor and whatever thoughts you have of anything happening between us are never going to happen!"  
_

_"Is that your only reason? Because we’re from different houses? I thought you smarter than that, Millie."  
_

_She felt something then, something like sadness deep in her chest, but refused to acknowledge it._

_~_

 

With tear filled eyes she turned and walked away, throwing the rose on the ground where she stood.

* * *

 

 

It took her a week before she could bring herself to come back to his grave. The sun was out, which should have made it easier. Instead it hurt so much more. The world was moving on, the skies were blue and the sun was warm. Yet here she was, standing in front of that stupid gravestone because of a stupid war and a stupid man that took so much more than she ever would have guessed. 

 

~

_Millicent sat as close as she dared to the edge of the Black Lake just days after the Tri-Wizard Tournament, staring at the water. She didn’t want to believe Draco. She didn’t want to believe that Voldemort was back. She didn’t want to be this person anymore._

_"We have to stop meeting like this. People will talk."_

_Her head snapped up at the sound of Fred’s voice. "What are you doing here? She looked around in a panic. You shouldn’t be seen with me."  
_

_"I felt that you were scared. I had to find you."_

_The concern in his voice nearly made her break her resolve to keep pushing him away. "You felt that I was scared."  
_

_"Yes. You can’t tell me that you don’t feel it, too. I know you do, Millie."_

_"I don’t know what your talking about, Weasley. And don’t call me that."_

_Fred gave her a sideways smile, but didn’t push her any further. Instead, he sat in silence, just close enough to be comforting. No one else had done that for her. Her friends didn’t really seem to be friends when she really thought about it. Pansy was always following Draco around, Blaise and Theo were never seen without each other, and Daphne had always gravitated to Tracey Davis, so Millicent was easily pushed to the side. She couldn’t stand Crabbe or Goyle, so where did that leave her?_

_"You really believe that we’re soulmates?"  
_

_"Hermione’s read about it. She doesn’t believe that such a thing exists, but I do. How can I not?"  
_

_"I think you’re wasting your time." She said softly. "No one wants me. Not who I really am." He didn’t say anything, so she continued on. "I don’t know how to be who I want to be. I was the bully, the force, the brainless follower. That’s not me."  
_

_"I know." He said simply._

_She turned to face him and gave the softest of smiles._

_~_

 

She could feel that same small smile on her face. This time she had the courage to lay the orange rose she’d brought in front of his grave, but couldn’t bring herself to do anything more than stare at the stone. 

* * *

 

 

The following week was a bad one. The funerals were done, the trials of her friends and family were over, and she just broke. This life wasn’t anything that she had planned, it wasn’t anything that she wanted. She couldn’t get out of her own head. She paced around in her bedroom, not knowing how to make it all stop. She wanted to feel something, anything other than this overwhelming loss. She screamed so loud her voice cracked, and could feel her throat getting tight. She hated it. She knew the tears would pour down her cheeks any second now. She punched the wall and immediately hissed in pain as she cradled her bleeding hand. 

 

~

_"I said let me go!" She shouted as she tried to twist away. She’d been avoiding Goyle like the plague, and foolishly thought she could come to Diagon Alley without seeing him. She had been putting off going school shopping for her sixth year supplies for far too long. If she hadn’t been gawking at Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, arguing with herself about if she should go in, she would have missed Goyle completely._

_"Why should I? You belong to me. Don’t tell me you’re that stupid and don’t know about the contract."  
_

_"I do not belong to you." She barked. She tried to yank her hand from Goyle’s  grasp, but he held on even tighter, making her wince in pain._

_"Look at you. He smirked. You should be grateful... halfblood."_

_Millicent had changed quite a bit over the summer. She tried to recreate herself in the way she wanted to look, the way she wanted to feel. Her black combat boots irritated her mother something awful, and she loved it. She’d found a potion that would make her rats nest of auburn hair sleek and straight, and her nails were always painted black. She somehow found a way to always work a bit of orange in her clothes. This time it was a tank top under her black off the shoulder t shirt. She may be a halfblood, but she was a proud and stubborn Slytherin, and she deserved to be there._

_"It’s not for you, Goyle. Now let me go." She growled._

_"I don’t have to. Father say so. Give it up, Millie."  
_

_She felt a rage she’d never felt in her life. "You don’t get to call me that."  
_

_"I believe the lady asked you to back off."  
_

_Millicent whipped around to see Fred standing there, his face contorted with anger. It made him look terrifying, and for whatever reason, her stomach fluttered._

_"Mind your own business, blood traitor." Goyle spat. "This doesn’t-"_

_She’d never get to hear what he was going to say, the stunner Fred had sent his way knocked him right on his ass, leaving him in a pile of unconscious limbs._

_"Are you alright?"  
_

_"He such a bastard." She grumbled as she rubbed her wrist._

_"Let me." His soft voice was so different from what she’d just heard from him. She held out her arm and he gently took her hand in hers and healed her wrist so there would be no bruising._

_"Thank you."  
_

_"Is it true?" He asked abruptly. "There’s a marriage contract between you two?"  
_

_Her lips parted in surprise, she didn’t expect him to have heard that. "Yes."  
_

_He nodded, then gave her his signature grin. "Over my dead body."_

_~_

 

She stormed out of the house, her hand still bloody and probably broken. Her face still wet with tears she couldn’t believe she still had. It felt like all she’d done lately was cry. Apparating to Fred’s grave she fell before it and wept. 

“You weren’t supposed to leave me!” She cried. “You promised me! You p-promised me.” 

 

~

_"Thank Merlin you’re alright!"  
_

_Someone grabbed her from behind and spun her around, but she already knew who it was. She would know that voice anywhere. "Fred! Where the fuck have you been?!"_

_"It’s crazy, I’ve been everywhere. I was so worried about you!"  
_

_She clung to him and he held her tightly. She had never considered them in a relationship, but she hadn’t seen him in over a year. Having no idea where he was or if he was even alive had made her realize what she wanted out of this life. She was too terrified to find him, for their safety, but now that he was here and he was alive she would be damned if anyone took him away from her. She pulled his head down to hers and planted a kiss right on his perfect lips._

_"You better come back to me."  
_

_"I promise, Millie."  
_

 

_She felt it the moment it happened. Her chest felt so tight she couldn’t breathe. Falling to her knees she tried to pull oxygen into her lungs, then the realization hit her. Fred. She had to find him. She ran around the castle frantically searching for him, checking every place she could think of. When she saw one of his brothers and Harry Potter clutching a lifeless body, she knew. Fred was dead._

_~_

 

“You fucking promised.”


End file.
